Rangers sorry to lose pugnacious Daniel Carcillo

His 10-game suspension means veteran agitator likely has played last game for team

May 24, 2014|By Chris Hine, Chicago Tribune reporter

The Rangers' Daniel Carcillo skates with the puck against the Canadiens during the first period of Game 3. (Ed Mulholland / USA Today Sports)

When Daniel Carcillo came to the Rangers in January, his reputation preceded him.

He was an agitator, someone who might not be the easiest to get along with.

Everyone on the Rangers knew it.

When Carcillo, who was on the Blackhawks' Stanley Cup team last season, arrived from the Kings in a trade, the Rangers were skeptical but kept an open mind.

Then a funny thing happened. Gradually, Carcillo won over the room and carved out a place as a contributor on the Rangers' run through the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But that all came to a crashing halt Friday, when the risk that comes with putting Carcillo on the ice in vital games manifested itself in a worst-case scenario for him. He was suspended 10 games by the NHL for making physical contact in a skirmish with linesman Scott Driscoll during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Thursday against the Canadiens.

On Saturday, the Rangers defended their teammate and bemoaned his likely exit from the playoffs — barring Carcillo winning a long-shot appeal and earning a significant reduction in his punishment.

"He's been a great teammate," veteran center Brad Richards said. "Heard a lot about him before and don't have one bad thing to say about him as a teammate since he's been here.

"Hopefully this will be a good lesson and turn out the right way for him."

Carcillo appeared to elbow Driscoll after charging Canadiens winger Brandon Prust, who minutes earlier had leveled a hard hit on Rangers center Derek Stepan that broke Stepan's jaw. Carcillo was just doing what he does — answering what he viewed as a slight against one of his teammates with his brand of on-ice vigilante justice.

As Prust fought the Rangers' Derek Dorsett, Driscoll came to restrain Carcillo and get him to the penalty box, but Carcillo would not go quietly.

Rangers coach Alain Vigneault had called Carcillo's action "inexcusable" but on Saturday questioned Driscoll's role in the incident.

"All Scott had to do was tell him he had a penalty … 'Just can you come here with me? Here, you have a penalty,' and it would have been over," Vigneault said. "In that moment of grabbing him like that, obviously it's inexcusable what Dan did, but those situations put one after the other leads to a young gentleman's career moving forward that might be very tough here."

Instead, Carcillo, an unrestricted free agent after the season, has likely played his last game with the Rangers, who will miss him more than they thought at first.

"Hopefully, everything will come out on the good end," Richards said.

Coaches feud: Canadiens coach Michel Therrien asked Rangers assistant coach Ulf Samuelsson to leave the Canadiens' practice Saturday, saying Samuelsson broke a "gentleman's agreement" that coaches would not watch practices on non-game days, though there is no official rule against it.

"It's respect for coaches that want to make adjustments between games, and it's always been like that and that's the way it is," Therrien said.

Stepan likely out: Vigneault said Saturday that Stepan is "unlikely" to play in Game 4. Stepan was still in the hospital recovering from surgery Friday to repair his broken jaw. Beyond that, Vigneault wasn't sure when Stepan might return. Center Derick Brassard, who missed the last three games, is on track to play after practicing Saturday.